


Time Waits For No One

by sharkgriffin



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Canon Divergence, Episode: s03e15 Time Is On My Side, F/F, SaveBela, Season 3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-13
Updated: 2014-08-13
Packaged: 2018-02-13 00:05:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2129517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sharkgriffin/pseuds/sharkgriffin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is it. Bela's time is up. She is going to Hell. But then, a stranger shows up, causing the hellhounds to vanish and promising she can get her out of her deal.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Time Waits For No One

Bela hears the other end of the line go dead. That is when she knows. The Winchesters have given up on her. There's no way she can get them now, no way she can save her own life. This is it. Her time is up.

With anger, she places the phone back on its stand. Now, the only sounds remaining are the ticking of the tiny, antique clock on her counter and her own, harsh breathing. Eerily silent. Even the traffic of New York city outside, seems to have frozen in time.

And then it begins. For the past twenty four hours, every face she looks at, every voice she listens to has transformed into that, that grotesque, howling monster. But this is it. For real.

She clasps her gun in her hand, being careful to not let it slip, despite her palm being coated in sweat. From fear. It is running down her face and mixing with-is that a tear? She is crying. She never wanted it to end like this. Up until a few months ago, it hadn't really sunken in. She had always told herself that she would find a way out, she had never thought about the alternative because it was simply too horrible to even cross her mind. And maybe, now she is getting what she deserves. People have died because of her. But she isn't going down without a fight.

The pounding of her heart and the barking from outside are increasing in volume. She sprinkles an extra line of goofer dust. A second ring of salt around herself. Anything that can do her any good, whatsoever. But it won't keep them out for long.

And then it all stops. What is this, some sort of surprise attack? She's had ten years to research into hellhounds and crossroads deals and they sure aren't smart enough for that kind of move. What is going on?

And then she hears a creak of the floorboard behind her. It is not much but enough to make her spin around. She points her gun at the attacker.

It is a girl. Blonde hair. Leather jacket. Multiple ear piercings. Early twenties. Completely unfazed by the barrel pointed at her face. She has her arms folded and a little smirk on her red lips. She kicks, gently at the edge of the salt line with one black heel.

"Go ahead. Shoot."

"Who are you?" Bela asks. "Are you one of them?"

"Close enough," she replies. "Ruby." The demon then extends one arm as far as it can go.

Bela fires and it hits her, full on in the chest. She staggers backwards as blood trickles from the wound and then, almost instantly, dries up. She regains her balance.

"Friendly. Not very nice when I'm trying to help you."

"What do you mean?"

"You mind letting me in so we can talk?" The demon-Ruby's eyes gesture towards the salt line.

"If you want to talk, you're staying right there. Don't think about going anywhere, either."

Ruby laughs. "What will you do? I know you don't have the colt anymore. But it's fine. I'll let you face Lilith's hounds alone."

"Do you work for her?" Bela demands. "Is this a trick?"

"If I tell you it isn't, would you believe me? I'm just going to go ahead and tell you it isn't. You believe me?" She widens her eyes as she asks. Maybe she hopes it will make her look more innocent. It doesn't. But she is her only hope. She's going to Hell, anyway so what does she have to lose?

"Let's just say I do believe you for now. What do you know about me?"

The blonde shrugs and sniffs a little. "Bela Talbot. Human. Twenty-four. There's been a lot of talk in you down in the pit. You're pretty much a readymade demon. Just add water or in this case, fire. I've gotta say, the torturers are looking forward to having you. A little challenge. I know you went through enough torture as a child after all. We all know about your parents."

Bela flinches at the memory of her mother and father. And there are so many questions she has. What's it like in Hell, to begin with? And what happened to them? Were they bad enough people to go downstairs? Or did they go in the other direction? Are they demons now? But there is no time for that.

"You said you wanted to help me."

"I want to try and help you," Ruby yawns. She backs away to the wall as she speaks and crouches down, stretching out her legs.

"Why?"

"You're interesting. Wanted to meet you. Because I've never done something like this before." She nods as if she's finished but then continues with her sentence. "And because you remind me of me."

Bela takes a step backwards. "You?"

"Yeah. Me. Well not me-me. Somewhere-seven-or-eight-centuries-back-me. Yeah, all this, but human. I was headed for the highway to Hell, too. And I wasn't too pleased about it. Could've done with someone like now-me to help me out but never mind. I guess there's nothing I can do now. Another thing the same about us. Both of us have a problem with that a certain Winchester."

"Winchester? Do you mean Dean Winchester?"

"Top marks for you. I said I wanted to help him too but that didn't stop him from trying to kill me whenever possible. To him, I was just the demon bitch. By the way, his brother's all over the idea of him and you together."

Bela raises her eyebrows and then laughs, joining in with Ruby. "Believe me, I know all about that." And then she stops herself. "What's happened to all the hounds?"

"Learnt a few tricks over the years. They listen to their momma. You comin' or what?" Ruby is already making her way out of the door.

"Coming where?"

She looks back at her, over her shoulder. "Somewhere I can get decent French fries. Oh, and figure out what we're gonna do about your whole demon deal."

*     *     *

Forty-seven minutes later, the two women are sitting in a small, twenty four hour cafe, two blocks down from her twenty-second floor apartment.

Ruby is eating a large plate of fries, drenched in ketchup, with no added salt of course. It is funny, how someone who doesn't need any food could can be so hungry. Bela sips at her little cup at tea. Another thing that is funny is how she's trusting her. There could be an army of Hellhounds, right around the corner. But Ruby wouldn't let the killing take place in such a public place, even in the middle of the night. And would she really waste time when she could already be in Hell, right now. Maybe it was some demon-highschool prank to humiliate her.

"Oh my God, this stuff is good. Like fireworks in your mouth. Except they don't taste like gunpowder."

"I'm not sure I understand what any of this has got to do with anything. You said-" She lowers her voice after checking their waiter isn't listening in. "You said you could help me get out of my deal, the thing I've been trying to do for the last decade of my life. And as far as I can tell, that doesn't involve eating fast food. We don't have time for this."

Ruby takes another bite and then puts her milkshake straw between two pursed lips. "Yeah, I know, 'cause time waits for no one, right?"

Bela looks slightly surprised at her reaction. "Can you get me out of the deal or not?"

"Maybe, maybe not. I don't know the limits of my abilities, you know."

Bela sighs. "Could you stop being so vague?"

"Honey, it's called witchcraft. I was a witch and I have witchy abilities."

"No not that. Just give me a straight answer. What is the point of all this? What are you going to do that you think can save me exactly?"

"Depends." She puts the final three pieces of potato onto her tongue and chews. Then she takes a twenty dollars from her jean pocket. She leaves it on the plate at wipes her face with the napkin. "Keep the change," she calls out to the waiter who is now sitting and chewing gum at the counter.

"Where are we going now?"

Ruby kicks the door shut behind them. "Don't mind that now. Hey, so you didn't eat anything so I'm guessing you're not much of a fries fan. Tell me, if there was one food you could eat for the rest of your life, what would it be? Something expensive? I know about your million dollar storage."

"I wouldn't say I have a million dollars. What does this have to do with anything?"

"Believe me, everything. What is it you like, roasted peacock?"

Bela chuckles, quietly. "I think I'll say pretzels. With cinnamon."

"I hadn't tagged you as a mall food girl. What other things do you like? Think about them. Just shut your eyes and picture them. Pretend this is some psychology test."

And Bela does close her eyes. And she thinks about the good times. What good times she has had anyway. When she made a huge sale of paintings, stolen of course, from an art gallery in Venice. She treated herself to a nice hotel and went swimming in the pool, drank and shopped for new clothes that she clearly didn't need. The Italian men had followed her everywhere, lending her money too and it had all been as perfect as it could get.

And then, back further. She was in England. Brighton. By the beach. They went to a funfair at the end of the pier and ate fish and chips on as the tide came in. With her parents...

She stops then. She is back in the high street. Back in America. Her only source of light is from the skyscrapers above and a beautiful blonde is staring at her with curiosity.

"Bad memories?" She offers.

Bela doesn't know what to say. She eventually just nods.

"Well now you're done, we better be leaving. I know where we have to go.

*     *     *

Ruby takes her up a set of stairs. Seven floors up. Unfortunately, there is no elevator so that even she who has spent ten years running from the police, is completely tired out.

How does the demon keep walking? Especially in heels like that.

"Take your time, take your time," she says without looking back.

Bela shoots her an invisible glare and continues.

"One of the perks of being a soulless abomination. You never get tired. You could win a marathon. In fact, I was thinking of trying it out. It's funny that all those hunters are so desperate to save humans when they're so-"

"Pathetic."

"Yeah, you got it. I mean, it's great, having feelings and emotions and all that crap but they always-I don't know. You know this place?"

"Should I?"

"Probably. It's a witch warehouse. Only one I know of in the state. It has potions and spellbooks for budding, young black magic users." She pushes open the door- the only door she has seen in this building, despite the many floors. "After you."

And then they stand in a dark storage cupboard, coated in dust and from floor to ceiling in cobwebs. There are shelves, too, stacked neatly against the wall and crammed with books and bottles of odd looking concoctions. Ruby immediately begins to study them, pulling items off as she goes.

"It must be around here, somewhere."

"Ruby." Bela finally speaks to her using her name. "What's it like in Hell?"

Ruby turns her head away from the bookshelf. "You really think now's a good time? I'm trying to save your ass here."

"But you can't. I know you can't. It's impossible. I've looked into it every way I can and it's never been done before. You work for Lilith, don't you?"

Ruby gets up. "Listen to me. I'm not what you think. I'm not a slave. But I'm a demon. And that's it. But you're right. I can't save you. Not properly, anyway." It is then that she picks up a bottle from behind her, triumphantly.

"I think I can understand. You were trying to make me understand."

"Make you understand what?"

"I belong with the demons, with you. I'm not human, not properly. I'm-" She takes a deep breath, ready to word her next sentence. "I'm dead inside."

Ruby looks shocked. "OK, to correct you, none of that is true. I haven't known you long. I wasn't sent by anyone. I came of my own will, because I wanted to meet you. And sweetie, you don't disappoint. The sexy British thief. You are more human than those Winchesters themselves and what you got as a kid...Not even someone like me deserves that."

"It's fine, Ruby. I'm not scared of going to Hell. I'm not scared of those Hellhounds getting me. Because I want to fight beside you. You've shown me the good sides and bad sides of being human and I've had enough of a life, better than most people. And now I'll get an alright afterlife too."

"Bela Talbot, you are not dying today. Not on my watch. Time waits for no one. But you can make it wait for you." Ruby handed her the glass vial. It was quite large, about as tall as one and a half of her hands and yet, it was as light as a feather in her arms. "It can last for up to five years. Works much better than that goofer dust you've been using. And hey, you get a little extra time."

"But Lilith-"

"Don't worry about her. As I said, I'm not a slave. I kept my word as best as I could. And, we do have a lot in com-" Her sentence was broken off by Bela kissing her, full on, on the lips, gripping her shoulders as she did so. And then she pushes her away, finishing almost as soon as they have started.

"Thank you, Ruby," she says. "Make those Winchesters pay."

Ruby grins at her, showing pearly white teeth. "See you in Hell," she whispers. And then, she is gone, vanishing in a gust of wind. It is that second that the barking commences again, outside their room.

She grits her teeth as the door bursts open. And then she unscrews the lid of the bottle.

*     *     *

Bela Talbot died six years later. It was April, sun shining surprisingly bright for only Spring, some would say. They found her in a rundown flat in Virginia. Her chest had been ripped to shreds and she seemed to have been there for an approximate of three days. She would have died slowly, in agony. It was a curious attack, the FBI had thought. A wild animal, a bear maybe. Except, she lived in the middle of the city. And all her doors had been locked, the alarms on, too. And yet, most curious of all, as they turned over her stone cold corpse, they found, she was smiling.


End file.
